Ghosts of White
by The Dark Deceiver
Summary: You can bury the past, and forget about it, but you can't truly escape from it. Memories have long lives, and can last forever. Memories also need not necessarily come from the living.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own RWBY, obviously._

* * *

Weiss waved goodbye to her teammate as the Schnee company personal carrier slowly lifted off. It was the start of the weekend, and for once, she was leaving Vale to return home, or as close to home as she cared to.

No, Weiss Schnee wasn't returning to Atlas to visit her father and sister. She was returning halfway, to visit her uncle and grandparents while there were no classes going on. She sighed as she watched Vale get further and further away, and only briefly thought about just having them turn around, before she quelled such thoughts. It would be good to see her uncle and grandparents again.

For now, she would study until the ride was over. Just because there were no classes anytime soon didn't mean she would slack off!

* * *

The ride was long, and quite boring if Weiss had to be completely honest with herself. It was...quiet, something she was no longer entirely used to, not when she had a partner like Ruby around her every hour of the day, to say nothing about her sister. It was strange to be feeling this way, especially when she had enjoyed silence like this before.

There was a slight turbulence as the carrier started to land, and Weiss closed up her book and gathered her belongings. She was nervous, but a little excited. It wasn't often she was able to meet up with her uncle, and she hadn't seen him in years.

After the carrier touched down, Weiss disembarked, and looked around. "Mistress Weiss." a calm voice spoke up a bit to her right. Turning, she saw her uncle's butler standing there. He was a tall man, appearing in his mid-sixties, but in good physical condition. Weiss had heard stories that he had once been a renowned Hunter in his youth, before retiring to serve his longtime friend as a butler to the Schnee family.

The man gave a bow, to which Weiss returned with a polite curtsy. "Your uncle is this way, ma'am. May I take your luggage?"

"Of course." Weiss replied with a smile, allowing the older man to pick up her suitcases as if they weighed nothing. The two then started walking down the path, before a voice called out, stopping her.

"Oh, my heart! What a dazzling vision of loveliness!"

Weiss turned around, and standing before her was a young man her age. He was tall, standing at 6′1″ with a mess of flame red hair. His skin was fairly light, and he was dressed in what appeared to be mismatched armor that covered his casual clothing underneath. What grabbed most peoples' attention however, besides the large sword strapped to his back, were his blood red eyes.

The young man marched right up to Weiss and got down on one knee, gazing imploringly up at her, taking one of her hands in his own.

"Maiden most fair, would you honor this lowly vagabond with your name? Or better yet, your company?"

Only to get a hand chop across his head, causing him to let go and grimace, covering the wounded spot. Weiss glared down at him, trying to keep a straight face.

"Roy Almas! I thought you would have more tact than that!"

The young man, Roy, only laughed and stood up, dusting his pants off. "Yeah yeah, good to see you too Weiss." He said with a good natured smile. She continued to glare up at him for a moment longer, before her face softened, and she shook her head.

"You haven't changed it seems. A pity too. I thought you might have matured a bit more while I was gone." She said, turning away and crossing her arms in mock irritation. Roy's eyes widened dramatically, and he grabbed his chest, gasping and falling to one knee. Again.

"Oh, a lethal blow! Truly, no other woman can cause such grievous wounds like you can! Already I can feel mine heart grow faint. 'Tis the end for me, it seems. Alas, felled by beauty, what a way to go!"

He then flopped to the ground with a overly dramatic gasp, eyes closed, and lay there. The only attention he received was a light kick to the ribs. He opened his eyes to see Weiss standing over him, evidently unimpressed by his act.

He grinned and stood back up for the second time, and gave a formal bow with the grace of a nobleman. "Roy Almas greets the Lady Weiss Schnee and is at her service."

Weiss returned his bow with a curtsy, responding in return, "Weiss Schnee recognizes and acknowledges Roy Almas," grinning, she added, "despite his status as a vagabond."

Roy smiled and patted her on the head, gaining a smile in return, and fell in step slightly behind her, to her right. "So, what are you doing back here? I thought you went to Vale to attend that school, Beacon? Sure, it's good to see you back, and I truly mean that, but I didn't expect you to return here this soon."

"You're certainly right with that. I'm only here to visit my grandparents and my uncle. I have no intention of returning to Atlas, OR my father."

Roy raised an eyebrow at that last bit, but chose to keep quiet about it. He wasn't keen on getting involved in, or listening to, problems about family matters. Instead he decided this was a good opportunity to learn more about something else instead.

"So, how are things at Beacon? After I heard that you left for Vale, I decided to study up on it. Apparently it's not as different as the school in Atlas, at least in terms of teams."

"I'm doing fine, actually. I'm at the top of my classes, and my teammates and I get along...rather well."

"Oh?" Roy queried, "I sense some hesitation on that last part. Are you not pleased with your teammates?"

"No, it's not that. I'm actually very happy with the team I'm part of. It's just that...they're different. When I first attended Beacon, I didn't exactly have them in mind when I thought about who my future team would consist of."

Before Roy could reply, a soft "ahem" sounded in front of them. Standing there was Weiss' uncle. He was a slightly heavyset man, from years of working as a businessman, but was in no way fat. He had white hair, like all Schnee, and kind eyes. He was the younger brother of Weiss' father, and handled the company's business up front and in light of view. He and his brother didn't see eye-to-eye and that caused a bit of a rift between them.

"Hello uncle." Weiss said pleasantly, curtsying. Roy followed suit, giving a formal bow with a "sir". After that, Weiss and her uncle embraced.

"It's good to see you again, Weiss. And you too, Roy. I didn't expect to see you here."

"Eh, I was in the neighborhood. Saw Weiss and couldn't resist tagging along."

Her uncle laughed heartily, "Well, you're more than welcome to join us, that is, if my niece doesn't mind."

Weiss gave Roy a critical look, at which he just smiled and shrugged.

"Well, I guess I can tolerate him a little bit longer." she said with a grin, and her uncle clapped his hands together. "Wonderful! Come, Grey has already loaded your belongings into the limo. We can set off now and be at your grandparents place before noon!"

Weiss nodded and followed her uncle, with Roy in tow.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** _I'm not exactly comfortable with writing a RWBY fanfic (for several reasons) but after a dream I had earlier, I felt I just had to do so. Mainly because I'm stupid.  
_

 _Weiss' uncle, her grandparents, the butler, and Roy are all OCs that were present in my dream, to some extent, so I had to include them for the sake of the story. Don't hate me too much for this decision.  
_

 _Roy's name fits in with Monty's rules for making OCs for RWBY. Roy appears in Scottish Gaelic, from the word ruadh, meaning red, and Almas means "diamond" in Arabic, ultimately from Persian. So yeah, Red Diamond. Felt it'd fit someone Weiss would have known from home. Grey is the butler's name because I'm lazy and unoriginal, and the uncle and grandparents won't have names. I don't like elaborating on family members that haven't been introduced in canon, as too many things can be guessed wrong._

 _This whole first chapter is just padding, to get to the actual part where my dream started, so I had to make this all up on the fly. The story takes place after Volume Two and before Volume Three._


	2. Chapter 2

They were driving along the road above a cliff surrounded by trees at a leisurely pace, not pressed for time, enjoying the scenery. Weiss and her uncle were making small talk about recent events, while Roy gazed absentmindedly out the window, zoning out.

Suddenly he noticed something, a dull white contrast to all the green around them. "Hey, what's that?" he asked, tapping the butler to slow down and pointing at the object in interest.

Weiss and her uncle turned to the object and looked, to the best that they could in their spots in the vehicle. "It...looks like some stonework." her uncle said, narrowing his eyes to get a better look.

Weiss, curious now, had the driver stop and left the vehicle. Roy jumped out after her, and with a resigned sigh her uncle followed. The two teens made their way to the object, and examined it.

It was a gravestone, curiously enough. Old and weathered, it jutted out awkwardly from the ground. But what was even more odd was the design carved into it; a seemingly warped version of the Schnee family symbol.

This surprised Weiss. As far as she knew, the Schnee family was buried in only the most prestigious cemetery available to them. To find a grave this far out was a shock, to say nothing of the warped symbol that adorned it. She and Roy needed to share only one look before a silent understanding was passed between them, and they pressed on, curious about this.

Weiss' uncle quickly caught up with them and the three pushed through the foliage until they came to a large, and obviously abandoned, worn down factory. The place was overrun with weeds, and there was not a patch of green grass around. Littered around it were more graves, all with the same warped symbol of the Schnee family.

"What is this place," Weiss asked, turning to her uncle sternly, "and why is it littered with graves containing OUR family symbol?" Her uncle only shrugged.

"This used to be a dust mining factory, until it was shutdown around twenty years ago after resources went dry. I thought my brother had scheduled it for demolition, but apparently I was wrong. As for those graves, I have no idea why they're there."

"Well, only one way to find out." Roy piped in cheerfully, gripping the handle of his sword with his right hand, and slowly making his to the factory. Weiss sighed, rubbing her eyes, and followed. While she wasn't keen on Roy's eagerness to investigate, she too was curious about what these graves were, as well as this factory. She certainly has never heard of it before!

Her uncle watched the two before turning to his butler. "Bring the car around and park it above that gate over there. We'll be along in a minute."

Grey nodded, and the uncle joined the two in traversing the place. The graves were scrambled about as though no thought had gone into their positioning, and were obviously not cared for. It was quiet, too quiet. No birds chirping, no crickets, nothing. It was an eerie silence, one that was unnerving.

Roy kept his eyes sharp, glancing about for even the _slightest_ of movements. Something felt...off about this place. Weiss, being a Huntress in training, could feel it as well. Something was wrong here, but neither of them could place their finger on what it was. Maybe the graves? Or maybe it was the decrepit building in front of them.

They examined the headstones surrounding them. There were no markings on them to describe who was buried there. In fact, besides the warped symbol of the Schnee, there was nothing on them. Not one letter, not even a design! They were all the same, unremarkable, with the same symbol on them.

Gathering nothing from them, Roy spoke up: "Should we go inside?"

"It'd be better if we didn't." Weiss' uncle spoke up, "The place could be dangerous and unstable. The mine underneath is certainly unstable, what with-"

He stopped there, and shook his head, "Well, it's unstable and dangerous. We should head back up to the car now."

Weiss stopped and stared in disapproval at her uncle, eyes narrowed. Normally she would be the first one to say that a place such as this was dangerous, but the way her uncle avoided mentioning the mine made her suspicious.

"Uncle, this was one of dad's projects, wasn't it?" she asked sharply. The look on his face told her everything, and she turned. "Let's go Roy, we're investigating further."

He nodded, this time drawing his sword. It was an impressive two-handed sword, standing at 5′8″. Its crossguard curved upwards, and its blade was five inches wide. It had a simple design, but was dangerous nonetheless. He took the lead, holding his sword out in front of him in a defensive position.

Weiss followed after, drawing Myrtenaster. Finally, her uncle brought up the rear, unwilling to allow the two in by themselves. He was no hunter, but he couldn't bear the thought of two children entering a potentially dangerous building alone.

It was dark inside, the only light filtering in through broken windows. The building looked bad on the outside, but the inside was even worse, with rust everywhere, and smashed machinery and furniture. The place was covered in dust. The lobby was open and spacious, with two doors on the far left and right, leading to other parts of the building. Ahead of them, further down, were two large closed doors that undoubtedly led deeper into the factory, and down to the mine.

"Well, _that's_ not ominous whatsoever." Roy said quietly, eyeing the doors wearily, "Should we take a peek?"

Weiss wasn't sure. The feeling of **Wrongness** was stronger inside the building, almost suffocatingly so. She did not like this place, that was definitely certain. But it was her duty as a Huntress (in training!) and Heiress to the Schnee Family to investigate. So, she nodded to Roy and they pressed on, drawing closer and closer to the doors.

Upon reaching them, Roy glanced through the window of one. Nothing but darkness met him. It was a feeling of dread that threatened to choke him. Without a doubt, he knew that they were NOT welcome here. It was nothing like the presence of Grimm that he and Weiss were familiar with. No, this was different, more ominous, more terrifying.

"Well, here we are." Roy whispered, "Who wants to do the honors of opening the ' _Undoubtedly Evil Doors of Doom_ '?"

Weiss reached forward, determined to push through, but paused. She was uncertain if she should open them, if they should continue. She felt more pale than she usually was, and a quick glance at Roy showed that he, too, was pale. Neither of them wanted to see what lay behind these doors, but the feeling of duty and obligation pushed them. Whatever it was, they had to investigate.

She licked her lips and suppressed a shiver, and tried to move forward to open the door, but to no avail. Roy was in the same boat, his red eyes a duller colour, sweat adorning his brow.

This did not pass by her uncle unnoticed, and he stepped forward, causing them to startle slightly, "We should leave, you two aren't looking well, and this place isn't exactly the most-"

"No!" Weiss said loudly, staring defiantly at her uncle, "This is father's doing, I know it! Furthermore, as a Huntress and Heiress to the Schnee Family, it is my duty to see this through to the end!"

Roy nodded, adding his own piece, "Same here. Whatever happened here, people have the right to know, for good or for ill. There are unmarked graves outside that were left to rot, and an abandoned mining factory that should have been demolished years ago. And since YOU'RE the brother to the head of the Schnee family, and the only one who knew of this beforehand, why don't you open the doors?"

The uncle started slightly, and tugged on his collar, while Weiss stared in surprise at Roy. He just shrugged and shook his head, making a "not me!" motion with his hand. She felt the same way, and, curiously enough, her uncle wasn't affected by this place like they were, so it was only logical that he open the doors for them.

Besides, as the saying goes, "Age before beauty".

Her uncle sighed, and walked forward. Roy moved out of the way for him, and stood besides Weiss, weapon at the ready as the man pushed open both doors. Or, tried too. The doors were so old that they fell off their hinges instead, hitting the ground with a loud clatter, causing all three to jump.

Roy and Weiss advanced, keeping a weary eye out. However, the minute they stepped through the doorways, both fell to their knees, overwhelmed by the feeling of **_DREAD_ ** and ** _WRONG_ ** that overcame them. A heavy air befell them, and they both felt like they were being crushed by the pressure.

Weiss' uncle immediately knelt down by her side, worry spread across his face. "Weiss? Weiss! What's wrong?! Roy?!"

Roy slowly stood, panting and sweating. "H-how can you NOT feel that? I-it's like some force."

"It's our Aura." Weiss gasped out, "Unlike my uncle, our Aura was unlocked, and we're trained. That must be why we're being affected and he isn't."

"We have to get you two out of here!" Her uncle said sharply, but Weiss waved him off and stood up, gritting her teeth. She would **not** be deterred by something like this! Roy, seeing her determination, walked over to her, using his sword as a crutch, and offered her his arm.

"If we're going to go any further, you might as well use me as a brace. Pride or not, it'll be meaninglessness if you can't even stand."

After a moment's hesitation, Weiss nodded and latched onto Roy's right arm, nails digging painfully into his skin as she tried to keep herself steady. Together they walked further into the darkness, unsure of what they would find.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** _So yeah, this is literally where my dream started up. Them riding in a car, noticing a grave sticking out of the foliage. I think I might have done Weiss a bit of justice here. Girl knows when to call it quits, except for when the situation gets personal. I imagine that a situation that once involved her father would rile her up quite well._


	3. Chapter 3

Weiss, Roy, and her uncle were slowly making their way deeper into the factory, the only light being shed by Weiss, who had summoned a Glyph to light their way.

Neither teen looked well, much to the uncle's concern. But he was unable to shake their resolve, nor convince them to turn back. So he simply followed, ready to catch Weiss should she fall.

Eventually the cold tiles of the factory gave way to natural ground, and they stopped short. There, not eight feet before them, was a massive opening.

"The mine." Roy hissed quietly. Weiss said nothing, instead detaching herself from Roy's arm to kneel down heavily, peering down. Their eyes were beginning to adjust to the darkness, so they were able to make out just what was down there.

Mining equipment lay scattered everywhere as if dropped in a hurry. Lifts hung precariously, some with the ropes snapped on one side. There were chains, of all things, laying around in curious positions. Further down, there was a massive wall of dried mud, dirt, stone, and equipment.

"Cave in." Roy whispered, the pieces ever so slowly putting themselves together in his fog-ridden mind as he looked about at the scene before him.

Weiss turned and stared at her uncle, snapping out two simple words; "Explain. Now."

Her uncle sighed, and crouched down to eye level and looked at his niece.

"Yes, there was a cave in. This was one of your father's early works when he took over the company. Unfortunately, it didn't go as smoothly as one would have hoped, and besides the poor working conditions and labor that the...miners...experienced, there was the cave in, which took many miners' lives. After that, your father decided to cut his losses and shut the operation down. He then had me put in charge of the cover up, quite literally in this case. This cliff used to be completely barren, and then I filled it with trees, grass, and more. I can't say I'm proud of it, but that was long ago."

Weiss glared at her uncle, the feeling of betrayal rising up within her. Her uncle had always been a kind man, someone who didn't agree with her father's less than agreeable methods. But something like this! This was unthinkable, and wrong.

"What about the miners?" she asked, "What happened to the ones who survived? And...what do you mean by 'poor working conditions' and 'labor'?"

Her uncle scratched the back of his head nervously, "Well, since it was in your father's early days as CEO, he was a bit more...straightforward...with how he did things. Uh, that is to say..."

"They were Faunus, weren't they?" Roy said quietly, examining something he had found in the dirt. A sharp intake came from Weiss' direction as her uncle bowed his head, silently confirming it.

"H-how _could_ you?" she said in anger, glaring at her once trusted uncle. He started to give an answer, to try to explain to her reasons to justify, excuses, when Roy's sword clamored to the ground. He was holding a skull in his hand, staring at it, a look of horror slowly coming across his face. The skull in question was just slightly different than a human skull. Like it was the skull of a...

"My God," Roy whispered, turning and staring at Weiss, "Those graves out there, they're all **_Faunus_ ** graves. They're what remains of the miners..."

Weiss paled, moreso than possible for a girl with her complexion. Her stomach lurched, and she had to fight desperately to keep the bile down. How could her father do this? How could her UNCLE keep it a secret?

 **CLACK...CLACK...CLACK!**

All three of them jumped, Roy dropping the skull in surprise. It rolled down the slope and into the mine, where the sound was coming from. Looking around frantically, Roy finally noticed something that escaped his gaze before: a small hole, an opening that led deeper into the mine. Artificially made.

 **CLACK...CLACK...CLACK!**

And the sound was coming right from within it. Roy scrambled for his sword and picked it up, getting into a fighting stance with it held in a Close-Left formation, pommel reaching his left thigh, right foot out, left foot back, tense and ready for battle.

"Grimm?" he asked, keeping his eyes on the opening down below. There was no way to see anything beyond it, nothing but pure darkness. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Weiss struggle into a fighting stance as well, Myrtenaster held at the ready. However her uncle shook his head.

"No, it can't be Grimm. There's no way they could get this far in. Plus we're in one of the safest areas near Atlas. No Grimm could possible make it this far."

"Then what is that sound?" Weiss asked, not once taking her eyes off the hole. Her uncle's next words, however, caused her and Roy's blood to run cold.

"T-the miners that used to work here would smack two special stones together that they carried with them at all times, to warn their fellows of any incoming dangers, such as cave ins, a miner being wounded, someone getting lost, etc."

 **CLACK! CLACK! CLACK!**

They tensed. The sound was getting closer, louder, more frantic even, but at the same time it stayed far away. A new sound was now accompanying it. A heavy, rustling sound. The sound of chains.

"We're getting out of here. NOW." Weiss said, wasting no time in clipping to Myrtenaster her side. Roy and her uncle agreed and turned, and all three began running back for the entrance.

 **CLACK!** **CLACK!** **CLACK!** **CLACK!** **  
** **CLACK!** **CLACK!** **CLACK!** **CLACK!  
**

None of them dared to look back, concentrating only on trying to escape. Fear lent strength to their legs. This wasn't anything like fleeing from Grimm. Grimm could be fought. They could be killed. This? No, this was something entirely different, something on a different level of fear altogether.

Soon though, the doorway to the factory lobby came into view. They were going to make it! Just a little bit more!

 ** _DREAD. WRONGNESS. SUFFERING._  
**

Weiss stumbled and fell, the presence back, crushing her and Roy. It was malevolent. It was aware. And it was not going to let them get away.

Roy scrambled to his feet and ran over to Weiss, using every bit of his Aura to keep himself standing. He scooped her up in his arms, and just for the briefest second, turned back to look.

It was dark. That was all that could be seen. Blackness as dark as the body of a Grimm. No eyes peered out at him from the darkness. There was nothing there. But in his mind's eye, he saw _**IT**_. No form, no physical representation of whether it was Human or Faunus, male or female, yet he could **see** it, make out its features.

 **Blood**. A face covered in it, grinning madly.

Fear gave way to terror, a terror so primal that he almost fell where he stood.

It was the briefest of seconds, but it was enough to last a lifetime. He turned and _**RAN**_.

* * *

They burst out of the factory, Roy still carrying Weiss bridal style, not stopping to look back. Despite how he looked, her uncle was in fit shape, and had an easier time running ahead. The graves around them were now viewed in a new light. Twisted reminders of cruelty. Of death.

They made it up the hill where the butler, Grey, was waiting by the limo. Roy wasted no time opening the back door and throwing himself and Weiss in, slamming the door shut behind them. The uncle jumped into the passenger seat.

"Grey! Get us out of here IMMEDIATELY!" he commanded. The butler jumped in and started up the limo. It faltered and coughed.

 **THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!**

Weiss' eyes cracked open, and stared at her window in horror. There, plastered all over it and the other back window, were bloody handprints of various sizes. Including children.

"GO, DAMMIT, GO!" her uncle roared. Grey poured all his Aura into the limo and it roared into life. He stepped on the gas and floored it. The limo screeched and fish-tailed, but moved, and they sped off.

* * *

Down in the mine, everything was black. Not even a Dust Crystal would light the darkness up. Nothing living remained down there, nothing had for over twenty years.

 _Yet the sound remained._

 **CLACK! CLACK! CLACK!**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** _This was a lot more creepy when I was actually DREAMING it._


	4. Chapter 4

They had been driving for a little over an hour now, but none of them relaxed. Roy kept his eyes trained on the window behind him, searching for something, anything that might be in pursuit, doing his best to ignore the bloody handprints that adorned the back windows.

Weiss sat beside him, staring very pointedly ahead. Just the tiniest bit of colouring had returned to her face, but she still didn't look well. No one could blame her. The event had shaken up even her uncle and butler, the former a professional businessman whose job was to stay cool at all times, and the latter a retired Hunter who had seen the worst Remnant had to offer.

Eventually, they stopped by an empty car wash, where the butler got out and immediately set about cleaning the windows. Weiss took this opportunity to hurry to the bathroom and emptied her stomach in the toilet. Roy glanced at the closed door with sympathy, then turned back towards the road they had just traversed. He took no chances, never did. To be honest, he was afraid. He had fought Grimm before, escaped from some that towered over some buildings around them, and risked life and limb constantly.

But this? This was something that was different. Grimm were malevolent, but many were mindless. They had form. Whatever had happened back there was worse. It hadn't had a form, and couldn't have been fought off with might and machinery. And that is what scared him.

Minutes later, Weiss stumbled out of the bathroom, still pale, but looking a bit better. It helped that the butler had successfully cleaned off the windows beforehand and was now dutifully standing by.

"You doing OK?" Roy asked her with concern as they both made their way to the limo. She shook her head, but put on a determined look as she climbed back in. Roy joined her and they were off again, making their way to her grandparents' home.

* * *

The drive there was uneventful and quiet, and helped to calm their nerves and settle them down. While the event was still fresh in Weiss' mind, she was also excited to see her grandparents, so she shoved those memories away. She'd get to them later.

Her grandparents lived modestly, in a nice two story house well within city walls. They were a wonderful couple, always delighted to see their granddaughters and always happy to entertain guests. So it came to nobody's surprise when, upon answering the door when Weiss knocked, they swept her up in a large hug.

Roy politely declined their invitation to be added to it, commenting that his sword might get in the way and he didn't want anyone hurt. They then greeted their son warmly, and invited them all in as the butler drove the limo into their garage.

Her grandfather was a kind old man, always happy to indulge in his granddaughter's whims and requests. Her grandmother was more down-to-earth, always concerned for her grandchild's safety, well being, and schooling.

The rest of the day was filled with laughter and good cheer as Weiss and her grandparents conversed. She told them how well she was doing at Beacon, what she learned, and what the team she was in accomplished. It came as a shock to Roy that she hadn't been made leader, but looking back on her growing up, it wasn't too hard to see why.

Eventually night fell and they had dinner together with her grandparents. She was still ignoring her uncle though, and when he tried to talk to her afterwards, she simply dragged Roy off with the excuse of studying.

* * *

"So, how much work HAVEN'T you gotten done?" Weiss demanded as she and Roy sat at a table in one of the guest rooms, books open in front of them. Roy looked at her, mocking hurt.

"Me? Not doing homework? I'm offended!"

The only response he got was a glare, so he dropped the pretense, sensing the mood.

"Alright, alright, you can stop trying to fry me with your eyes. It might surprise you to know that I've gotten ALL my work done already, long before break started."

To his amusement, it DID surprise Weiss, and she made her thoughts vocal about it; "Wait, you actually finished all your homework? You, Roy Almas, vagabond and slacker extraordinaire, with the habit of sleeping classes away, actually did work?"

Roy snorted, trying to keep himself from laughing, even if her surprise did sting a bit. "Hey, I DID train at Atlas, remember? They have strict rules there. Some things just stick. Right now, all I've got are a few reports to make."

"Wait, what do you mean DID train at Atlas?"

 _Uh-Oh._

"Ah, well, you see, I kind of...dropped out?" He said sheepishly, scratching his head. He then cringed at the explosion that happened next to him, and the tirade that assaulted him.

"YOU DID WHAT?! YOU ACTUALLY DROPPED OUT OF ATLAS!? HOW COULD YOU? DO YOU NOT KNOW HOW IMPORTANT IT IS FOR A HUNTSMAN IN TRAINING TO ATTEND SCHOOL?!"

Ah, that's right. She always was louder than anyone else when yelling, or angry. He had forgotten about that.

"Yes, I did leave Atlas. Why? Well, a few reasons. One, it was too much for me. I've always been a free spirit, remember? I don't like being tied down, to rules, laws, or tradition. Two, I'm free this way to immediately start helping villages and people that are attacked by Grimm. I'm currently out there while everyone else is in school, making a difference. On the other hand, I'm obliged to write weekly reports about my skirmishes to the Headmaster for the rest of this year, to make sure I don't _'step out of line'_. Pfft."

Weiss sighed and sat back down, rubbing her temples. Of course he would have left Atlas. It was just as he said, he was too wild and free to be tied down by anything. There was just one more thing to know.

"Have you been practicing with Dust and Dust Safety lately?"

 **". . ."**

 **". . ."**

 _Of course._

"WHY HAVEN'T YOU BEEN PRACTICING?!"

Roy threw his arms up in front of his face like a shield, all the while backing away rather quickly, trying to make excuses to calm the storm currently stalking towards him.

"Uh, you see, that's because I, uh, haven't been able to acquire any Dust? That and my weapon doesn't use Dust, and I have no way to currently implement its use yet!"

He finished that last bit rather quickly. Of course, this wasn't enough to convince Weiss, and she stood over Roy like a thunderhead, staring menacingly down at him. At this point, he had three options ahead of him:

 **1\. Beg for mercy.**

 **2\. Go down fighting.**

 **3\. Run away.**

He chose the third option.

It backfired spectacularly.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** _You don't think Weiss can be all that scary until you have this dream, all in first person, and see her towering over you like Death itself, contemplating how best to rend the flesh from your bones. So yeah, final chapter's up next. No, there will be no shipping between Weiss and Roy. Nothing like that happened in my dream, so I'm not going to add it here. Besides, that's uncouth._


	5. Chapter 5

Roy was hard at work, memorizing and writing down how Dust could better be put to use, and how to apply it to weapons, armor, clothing, etc. He had been at work for a good time now, and the words were beginning to dance before him.

"Oookay, I think I'm going to take a break here, because the letters are literally replacing themselves and creating a jumbled mess that I cannot possibly read."

Weiss, who had been watching over him like a stern teacher, only huffed, and announced that she would be washing her face as she left, leaving Roy to sit there alone and think about the day. of course, his mind immediately went to the events at the factory. Whatever had happened there was something he, nor Weiss, would ever be able to forget.

 _Someone's going to have to go back there and do something about that place. And give those miners a proper burial too._

 **THUMP!**

Roy jumped, and spun around. Something had hit the window, and hard. Weiss came running in just in time to see Roy drawing his sword, glaring at the window.

It was dark outside, and raining heavily. That wasn't a good sign, especially since he couldn't see anything. Slowly, he advanced towards the window, noting how bad an idea it was, but needing to see what that noise was. Hoping beyond hope that a bird had hit it. Knowing in his gut just how wrong he was.

He cautiously glanced out the window, not daring to open it, and saw nothing. Not at first.

 **SLAM!**

An extremely bloody face hit the window, grinning manically. It was a Faunus with torn rabbit ears. Her eyes were unnaturally wide, and her face was split open from ear to ear in a horrifying grin, showing all her teeth. Roy yelped and jumped back, stumbling and almost falling over. But as soon as it appeared, it disappeared.

Breathing heavily, Roy turned to Weiss to make sure she was OK. And froze in horror. Weiss' face was covered in blood, and she was grinning like mad, her mouth split in the same unnatural grin, eyes wide, staring at him. She took one step towards him slowly, and then lunged.

* * *

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" he screamed, jumping up and away from the desk, slamming his head into the wall behind him. He let out a curse and dropped to his knees, holding his head, and looked up.

Weiss was standing up from where she had jumped away from where she had been sitting, staring at him, eyes wide. Apparently she hadn't realized that he passed out while doing the work she commissioned for him. There was a collective silence in the room before he collapsed onto the floor, breathing heavily and rolling on his back. It had just been a dream. A disturbing dream, no doubt affected by the day's events, but a dream nevertheless.

"Are you OK?" Weiss' voice resounded from somewhere above him, but he didn't bother opening his eyes. Not yet anyway.

"I will be. Just a nightmare, that's all."

He heard movement next to him, and opened his eyes to see her sitting down by him, looking at him in concern. He tried giving her a reassuring grin, but he was still shaking, and he slowly sat up.

"About that factory..."

"I don't want to talk about it," Weiss said abruptly, trying to suppress a shiver that went down her spine, "I-if you're not feeling well, you can study later."

She turned and went back to the desk, and began writing something down, trying to do something, anything to take her mind off the horror she witnessed earlier that day.

Roy watched her for a while, then shook his head.

"Someone needs to demolish that building. Those miners, they need better burials too, proper ones. Not hidden away like some shame."

Weiss' hand clenched tightly, and snapped the pencil. She turned around, glaring at Roy, but the look on his face caused her to falter, and she glanced at the table instead.

"I trusted my uncle. While my father has done less than reputable things to sully the Schnee name, my uncle has tried to fix that. They don't get along. So how? How could he keep all that secret? How could he go along with that?"

Roy moved back over to the desk and sat across from her, causing her to look up.

"I'm not going to pretend I know why. I'm not even going to try justifying his actions. Instead, I'll say this; he may have made that decision, and it may have been a mistake, but now he has a chance to fix it, and I believe he will. Now, I won't tell you to forgive him. That's not up to me. Instead, I want you to not hold a grudge against him."

"What?!"

"Look, that...presence...that we felt back there? It was a grudge. A grudge against the Schnee family. You and me? We were the lucky ones. We could feel it due to our Aura being awakened. Your uncle, however, is an average civilian. He didn't feel anything. He was a prime candidate for the grudge to attack. The Faunus who died in there, they all held onto their hatred of your father and uncle until their last breath. Do you really want to be the same?"

Weiss stared at her friend in surprise. When had he gotten this serious?

"What about my father?"

Roy grimaced. He should have expected this question to come up, and he still wasn't sure about how to go about answer it.

"I don't know. But that's completely up to you. You know me, I don't have any family, so I lucked out and got to skip that whole bit. But I do know that it won't be your father who decides the fate of the Schnee Dust Company. People change, times change. Who knows, there might be hope for him. And in the event that there isn't, you're the Heiress to the company, you'll be the one to change it."

It wasn't a satisfying answer, but it was better than nothing. Weiss smiled ruefully, and shook her head.

"That sounds like something I told my teammates recently. 'My father wasn't the start of our name, and he won't be the end of it'."

Roy simply smiled.

"Sounds like you've got yourself a good team."

"Huh, what makes you say that?"

"Well, you wouldn't have ever opened up to anyone like that, plus the way you've talked about them. You've made some good friends."

Weiss thought about it, and smiled.

"Yeah, I have, haven't I?"

"So, get a boyfriend yet?"

Weiss had just picked up a cup of coffee and began to drink when Roy said that. Her reaction, to spit it all over him and start coughing, told him all he needed to know.

"Oh? Someone you fancy?"

"NO!" she responded back hotly, her face red. He wasn't so sure he believed her. Then her face fell.

"Well, kind of? He's...nice. And kind of cool. He seems like the kind of guy I'd be interested in, but..."

"But?"

"He...flirts around. A lot. With other girls. And he's obsessed with his image as a cool, reserved guy. I don't think he knows how I feel..."

Roy looked upon Weiss' forlorn expression, and shook his head. "I wish I could help, but I honestly don't have any advice to give you. If I could meet this guy in person, then maybe I could do something, but..." He gestured helplessly.

Weiss shook her head, and smiled, trying to clear away her concerns. It only partially worked.

"Well, it doesn't matter. I'm at Beacon to become a great Huntress and uphold the Schnee family name, not fall in love. That can wait until afterwards."

"I'll drink to that." Roy replied, holding up his own coffee cup, They clinked them together and shared a light laugh.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** _Sadly, this is how it ends, both the story and the dream. Besides the first chapter, everything was written down detail for detail, word for word that I saw. Am I happy with how it ended? Nope! Does it make for a satisfying story? Of course not! This is a pretty crappy story. Like, seriously crappy. I'm not even sure why I wrote it down._

 _I might come back and rewrite this, continue it, make it better, but not until I'm comfortable with writing RWBY fanfics._


End file.
